Amisha Rastogi, Research Assistant at the AI Ethics Lab, had the incredible opportunity to attend the STEM in Government Conference as a Governor’s STEM Scholar (GSS) Team Lead.
The GSS Class of 2026 is comprised of 101 high school and college students from 19 New Jersey counties, each dedicated to exploring the intersection of STEM, research, professional development, and real-world engagement. This conference is the first of four and was hosted at the Kathleen W. Ludwig Global Village Living Learning Center at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. The conference featured inspiring discussions on the role and impact of STEM in shaping fields such as government, economics, cybersecurity, research, and policy.
The conference began with welcome remarks from Alise Roderer, Director of the Governor’s Stem Scholars; Anthony Cicatiello, President of the Research and Development Council of New Jersey; and Jason Geary, Ph.D., Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Rutgers University-New Brunswick.
This was followed by the STEM in Government Panel, an Introduction to Research session by Karla Esquilín-Lebrón, Ph.D., Research Advisor for the Governor’s STEM Scholars, and a Federal Funding & STEM session by Gwendolyn Bogard, Senior Government Relations Officer at the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
The day was rounded out with an interactive session led by Douglass Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE), featuring Lydia Prendergast, Ph.D., Associate Dean of WiSE, and Lorne S. Joseph, Ph.D. Director of STEM Research, Health, and Engineering Initiatives, and student research scholars. This experience offered the opportunity to connect with STEM professionals and scholars from across New Jersey and an inspiring look into how STEM shapes government and policy in New Jersey.
STEM in Government Panelists
- Laura Berzak Hopkins, Ph.D., Associate Laboratory Director for Strategy and Partnerships and Deputy Chief, Research Officer, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
- Michael Geraghty, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and Director of the NJ Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell, State of New Jersey
- Samuel Joisil, STEM Program Manager, US ARMY – CCDC AC – Picatinny Arsenal
- Nicol Nicola, D.B.A., Director, Division of Economic & Demographic Research, Office of Research and Information, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development